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amend provisions pertaining to the administration of an academic achievement assessment to students in grade eleven.

South Dakota school districts will no longer be required to administer a single standardized academic assessment to all students in grades three through eight and grade eleven; instead, they'll have flexibility in how they assess student progress while still being required to test writing skills at two grade levels determined by the Department of Education. The bill removes the previous requirement that every public school district use the same state-provided test across all these grade levels, giving districts more autonomy in choosing their assessment methods.

provide for the establishment of charter schools.

South Dakota would create a new system allowing charter schools—publicly funded schools operated by independent governing boards under contracts with school districts or the state—to operate with significant flexibility from state regulations. Charter schools would still have to follow civil rights, health, and safety laws, operate physical buildings with in-person instruction, and serve at least one grade from kindergarten through 12th grade, but would be exempt from most other state education rules. This represents a major shift in how public education can be structured in the state, giving educators and organizations a new option to run schools outside the traditional district model.

provide for the admission of certain children younger than five years old to the kindergarten program of a school district.

School districts can now choose to admit children who are younger than five to kindergarten if they turn five between September 1 and December 1 of that school year and can demonstrate they have the cognitive and social skills needed for kindergarten. Districts that adopt this policy must document their process for evaluating these younger children's readiness. If a child's home school district doesn't allow early admission, the child's parent can apply to enroll in a different school district that does.